Scott loves puzzles, I know...

It must have been the mailman. Nothing else makes sense. I guess you better go get a Bestycam and keep watch. That is very strange. Our mailbox door doesn't stay closed and our mailman doesn't tape it closed for us. Maybe he didn't like the cookies I left him for Christmas. Leslie   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

At least it wasn't super-glue!!! stheinz   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I really expected something to be wrong but it was neatly done and the door latches very well so I can't imagine why he would do that. I am at a loss why the tape is there. Maybe it is some kind of code. My neighbors are all spies! :) LGrant   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Okay, how crazy is this? I just noticed a mailbox in our neighborhood that had masking tape across it today just like you described. And I'm totally clueless too. Courtney Heinzel   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

How bizarre!! Is it some kind of national "Postman Tape Mailbox" Day? LGrant   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Typically stalkers will place tape across mailboxes, and if they come back to find that the tape has been removed, they know you've been home. Ok so I made that up, sorry. It's probably aliens or something. Dave Heinzel   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Maybe it's some strange postman's way of Rickrolling a mailbox? LGrant   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Ha, totally. You've been tape roll'd. Dave Heinzel   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I've been googling this phenomenon way longer than I care to admit (I lose track of time when I'm eating Doritos), and I'm still totally stumped. Although I did see a very interesting prank that I'm going to keep in my arsenal. Courtney Heinzel   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

This is so odd, and it would bug the bejesus out of me. Sarah S.   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Okay. So I started googling too...could there have been a flyer on it? Sarah S.   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Didn't look like it. It was well taped and went all the way around the front of the mailbox and didn't appear to have any bits of paper that might explain something pulled away. Very smoothly attached to the front and extending 2 in. or so around the mailbox. Shall I go put it back on and take a photo of how it appeared? :) LGrant   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Could a neighbor have been playing a prank? Taping your mailbox shut... Sarah S.   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The tape wasn't even that sticky--just simple masking tape. Can't imagine why they would tape it shut. It obviously had to be removed to access the mail but it wasn't any effort. Mailbox is so new it is virtually non-stick but the tape wasn't duct tape or anything heavy-duty. I've taken a picture (simulation) see above. LGrant   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Is school out there? Sounds like a teenage prank to me. !   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

If it is a prank it is a harmless one. :) LGrant   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Thank goodness for that!! !   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

maybe the mailman had some extra left over and just stuck it on yours-left over from what you ask?, well thats the real mystery. dannie   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

apparently it is an epidemic--Courtney noticed one in her neighborhood too. Spooky! :) LGrant   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Okay, okay, I did it... Scott   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I agree with Dave- it's aliens. That's how they track who they'll abduct next. Pam   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

LOL...well, no abduction yet. No tape on the mailbox today either. Is that the next part of Scott's demonic plan? Confuse me or did I remove the tape before the aliens did their fly-by last night? LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

In case you are ever asked, raccoons like peanuts in the shell. Oh, and if you ever need a sure raccoon lure...I know a great one. I'm toying with the idea of buying some to lure them to the deck for some really close shots. We'll see if I go that route. :) LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Raccoons also like lunch meat. Dave once lured one with a Barbie on a string with lunch meat under her shirt. The fact that we had Barbies back in 2002 (pre marriage, pre kids) is an interesting story. Courtney Heinzel   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Telling Dave's deep-dark secrets again, Courtney? I haven't tried lunch-meat but then again I never have it being a non-meat house. My "secret" food is LIFE cereal. We had a family of raccoons that came to visit years ago when I lived in an old house in Charlotte, NC. We happened to eat LIFE back then and had some around so I ran in the backyard to toss some to the raccoons on the roof of the garage. They went nuts over it. They would cross the street and come to the top of the garage every night as long as they had LIFE to eat. I'll bet if I get a box and toss it on the deck, we will see some serious raccoon antics. :) LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

How do opossums feel about peanuts and lunch meat? Ames   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I've never fed oppossums. Maybe we can ask the person who had one in the basement (I forget who!). I remember the oppossum liked the peanut butter and mouse-trap combo. LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

that was my husband... that's why I thought I'd ask ;) Ames   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

LOL...I'm the worst with names and faces. I'm lucky I can remember Ames long enough to mention it in a comment unless I can look right above. Guess that makes sense why you asked. LOL Do you still have the oppossum in residence? LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

lol ... well there have been no signs of the basement opossum lately (after repairing the lattice that seemed to be his entryway) but there was a fatal encounter with a smaller opossum in the garage. My husband swears it wasn't the same one. I'm happy to say that it inspired an awesome garage cleaning and our home appears to be rodent free... at least for the time being. Ames   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Glad to hear it. They can be destructive and my raccoon is probably more territorial and protective with 4 little ones but we don't bump like a basement issue. She will move on soon like the other years and we'll be back in our own planes again. :) LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

LGrant, any more tape today? Did you get a chance to ask any of your neighbors if they had a similar tape incident yesterday? !   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Hey ! No, I mentioned above that I was tapeless this afternoon. No alien abductions, no stalkers (per Dave). I didn't check with the neighbors. We all tend to be very contained and rarely connect and I guess I'd feel a little foolish asking them if they were "masked" or "tape-rolled" (per Dave) as well as me. Maybe it was a threat from the postman to cut Bert or he will stop bringing the mail. :) LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Glad to hear you had a vandal-free day today! Sorry I missed your earlier comment to that effect. It's hard to read every single comment in Humzoo and I know I miss some sometimes. Maybe some nice cupcakes for the mailman will do the trick! (By the way I made some cupcakes a few days ago and I said I feel like LGrant.....Humzoo's own purveyor of goodies and other baked delights!) !   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Oh, I have the same problem with the comments so no biggie. I've made him cookies before. Once for picking up 15 boxes of Christmas presents being shipped to various areas and individuals in the country. He came to deliver a box and thanked me for the bag of cookies on top of the stack (took him two trips since he was full from delivering Christmas boxes).

I'm honored! I wish I could afford to offer my services to any and all who are interested in treats but shipping and cost of ingredients (and my lack of winning the lottery and retirement!) prevent it. The least I can do is share my love and recipes and maybe encourage some fellow bakers to get in the kitchen. I feel so special! :) Thanks for the title! LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

You're always so gracious to share any recipe that anybody wants. And that reminds me....I need to go copy down the one with berries because I'd love to make that soon! Thank you in advance for that recipe!! !   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I made the turtles brownies today for the party tomorrow. I already made copies of the recipe because I have a feeling the gals will be asking for it. I am currently off of sugar ,but I may have to sneak a little taste at the party. Thanks again for the recipe. Leslie   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

PS The hardest part was unwrapping all of the caramels. I wonder if the dipping caramel they sell in containers would work. What do you think? Leslie   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Leslie, I'm not sure on that caramel. It would probably be fine but it might be too thin and dissipate and lose that ooze. Since I've never bought it, I don't know how thin it might be when it gets warm. You could certainly try it. I hated unwrapping them and got a few bags of some that had gotten warm and the plastic sunk into the caramel and I ended up with some plastic getting into the mix--it was a mess. That was the last straw and I went and bought the block. Now, I slice off 14 oz. and I'm done. LOL Try the dipping caramel and let me know. If it tends to get very thin when warmed, I would probably put it in the brownie batter cold and let it warm as it bakes rather than melt it and put it on the chips. Just a thought. A great easy one is taking Caramello bars and breaking them up and putting them in the middle of a brownie boxed mix prepared like the box. I think I mentioned that before. That would save on the unwrapping but you lose that great ooze. LOL

! - is that the berry-oatmeal crumb bars? I heard back from the woman yesterday. She said she put the pan down, went to help get the rest of the food ready and served, came back to a pan that looked like someone picked it up and licked it clean. Just a berry slick on the bottom. LOL LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Yes, Linda, the berry-oatmeal crumb bars. That's a funny story! I'm really not surprised though because they looked so good in your pictures! Would you recommend using one berry or combining two or three? !   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Depends on your available berries. Since they are cooked, fresh or frozen doesn't matter. I'm always into layers of textures and flavors so I guess my inclination would be a variety. I got a bag of mixed berries from Trader Joe's with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries and then tossed in one more 1/3 bag of strawberries. I guess if it was me, I'd always want to use at least 2 kinds for a deeper impact of filling instead of a one-dimensional one.

Poor woman--never even got to sample them. She paid me to make them for the event and never got a bite. LOL I'll make them for the office one day and she'll get one then. :) I told her it is because folks in OR are berry-starved since our berries are so late this year. That fresh strawberry trifle I made for work lasted barely 30 mins. It had 3 pints of fresh strawberries, nearly 1 full angel food cake, 12 oz of whipping cream and a full 4-servings size of vanilla pudding mixed with an 8 oz block of cream cheese. Even for my group that's fast eating! :) LGrant   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Oh gosh that sounds good. No wonder it went so fast! I just got the Berry Oatmeal Crumble Bars recipe copied down and I can't wait to make it, hopefully in the next few days. I'll let you know how it goes....and how stheinz liked them!! !   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Can't wait to hear!! LGrant   Thursday, June 12, 2008